Representatives from internet provider Talkie reported this week that efforts are ongoing to expand internet access to parts of Worcester County that currently do not have it.
By Bethany Hooper, Associate Editor
Talkie representatives say efforts are ongoing to expand internet access in Worcester County.
On Tuesday, Andrew and Andre DeMattia of Talkie Communications, one of the internet service providers operating in Worcester County, presented the county commissioners with an update on broadband. The representatives said the company recently completed work in the Whaleyville area and that new customers will be added along the Route 12 corridor in the coming days.
“We have over 400 subscribers that are active in the county right now with about 250 miles worth of fiber optics deployed as it stands right now,” Andrew DeMattia said.
In his update this week, Andrew DeMattia told commissioners that Talkie was completing broadband work funded through an ARPA grant it had received. Andre DeMattia added that the company was also laying fiber optic in areas not covered by grant funding.
“So off of Route 12 we’re doing some extra stuff that wasn’t part of any of the ARPA grants,” he explained, “like Paw Paw Street.”
From there, officials say the company will move into Girdletree. Additional connections are also being made in the Stockton area.
When asked how many homes Talkie had the ability to connect, Andrew DeMattia said it was roughly 1,000. He added that the company was reaching out to potential customers every week.
“We’re still calling people maybe once a week in the Whaleyville area,” he said. “The problem is they signed up two, three years ago and now when we call them they don’t remember they signed up … But what we do is we generally call maybe twice a month and then we send a email about twice a month, so as not to overwhelm them.”
Andre DeMattia added that Talkie was also in the process of expanding its services to include cellphones and TV. He said TV will soon advance to a testing phase for existing customers.
“We’re working with Roscoe [Leslie, county attorney] now to get a franchise agreement with Worcester County, so the lawyers are going back and forth,” Andrew DeMattia added. “We’ll eventually need to go back to you for approval.”
After further discussion, Commissioner Chip Bertino thanked Talkie representatives for the update.
“I think you have the appreciation of this county for what you’re doing, and we thank you very much,” he said.